In California, it is required by law to have insurance on all vehicles operated or parked on California roadways.
Although not everyone obeys this law, it does gives you some assurance that if you are in an accident and it is the fault of the other driver, there should be insurance in place to cover your costs.
However, in California, the minimum liability insurance requirement is $15,000 for death or injury to a single person. That means that someone can legally drive a vehicle with only $15,000 worth of insurance.
If you were in an accident and broke a leg, or suffered a neck injury as a result, it can easily cost you more than $15,000 for medical bills, and that doesn’t even address the issue of lost compensation if you missed work or can’t work as a result of the accident.
This is where uninsured motorist insurance comes in. This type of insurance covers you if the other driver doesn’t have insurance, and also if the other driver is under-insured.
For example, lets say you get into an accident and it’s the other driver is at fault. The other driver only has $15,000 worth of insurance. Unfortunately, you suffer injuries that amount to $50,000 in medical bills. If you have uninsured motorist coverage, it should cover the $35,000 difference between the cost of your medical bills ($50,000) and what the other driver’s insurance covers ($15,000).
As you can see, having this kind of insurance can be well worth the cost if you were to get into an accident with a driver who is uninsured or under-insured.
It’s important to understand your insurance coverage. If you don’t understand what you have or what it covers, call your insurance broker or company and ask them to explain what is covered and what isn’t. This is a great opportunity to ask them whether your policy includes uninsured motorist coverage and how much it covers.
If you have questions about this or have been in a auto accident and aren’t sure how to proceed, please contact us or call us at 800-676-5295.
